


I Don't Want Your Expectations

by ceria



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Age Difference, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - High School, Clint is 18 and Phil is 30, F/M, M/M, Past underage mentioned, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-27
Updated: 2013-09-27
Packaged: 2017-12-27 17:57:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/981916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceria/pseuds/ceria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He might be ten years past the typical age an Omega finds his Alpha but that doesn't mean Phil Coulson is going to assume he won't find one. Or take the advice he hears too often from well-meaning friends and family and settle for less than what he wants.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Don't Want Your Expectations

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the ABO big bang on Lj. I'll have to edit this for the links. 
> 
> Thank you, Nawilla, for your encouragement and stubborn refusal to let me freak out (too much) over this. You're the best.

"Sir?"

"People are ridiculous," Nick said, balling up the letter and throwing it to Maria. She smoothed out the paper against the credenza, reading out loud.

> " _Please forgive us if this has been addressed before, but my wife and I have some concern with the unbonded omega, Mr. Phil Coulson, as a teacher. As an alpha, I understand that unbonded omegas rarely enter a heat cycle. We also understand that he's an adult and that all omegas, on some level, are always searching for their alpha mate. It's not Mr. Coulson, you understand, who concerns us, but the older alpha students, like our son. There is some worry that an unmated omega has too strong an influence over unmated students. This is a power imbalance that…_ " 

Maria didn't finish reading. It wasn't like it was a surprise after all; Nick had received at least one similar letter every year that Phil had taught.

"Look at the bright side," Maria said, patting Nick's hand in consolation. "It's the first one of this year and it's spring. We're almost through."

"You think that's good news? I'm the one who has to tell Phil about this."

"Do you remember his first year, seven years ago? We used to get these letters once a week."

"That's the problem," Nick said and Maria didn't understand what was wrong, or why Nick's alpha tendencies were kicking in, as if he was offended.

"This isn't a good thing?"

"The concern then used to be that he was too young, too close to the student's age and that too many students might be attracted to him. Now though? It's only one letter, more than half way through the school year. Do you think I want to remind him that he's…"

"An adult? Fully capable of surviving on his own? Not willing to bend over for any alpha? Nick, Phil hasn't met an alpha he wants to choose, you know that."

"When's it going to be his turn, Maria?" Nick whispered and she moved close enough to whap him upside the back of his head. "Hey!"

"Phil Coulson does not need an alpha to be considered a complete man. I cannot believe you're suggesting otherwise." She rested her hands on her hip just to show she wasn't going to slap him again. "If you doubt that, I suggest you repeat that sentence in front of him."

"I know that," Nick said, glaring at her with his one eye. "But he's lonely, damnit. You think I don't see him twitching when we run through the park? That he leaves the room as soon as possible when a newly bonded pair is presented?"

"Do you think," she countered, "that I haven't noticed his sigh of relief when there's a new story about omega abuse? Or another omega who has to drop out of school or quit working because their too-controlling alpha has deemed it 'better' they stay home?"

"Not all alphas are evil, Maria."

"I know that, but they don't make the news, Nick." She took a deep breath and patted his hand. While it wasn't proper for her to touch, or let an alpha touch her, Maria didn't actually care. Jasper wouldn't assume she was cheating on him if she smelled slightly like Principal Fury. She thanked the stars once again that she and Jasper were betas and not subjected to the stupid instinctual pullings that omegas and alphas dealt with. No hormone pills for them or crazy heats to endure. 

It was time to change the subject; she never felt comfortable discussing omega rights, specifically in regards to Phil, when he wasn't present. "What's on the docket for today?" Technically, Fury ran the school as the alpha but all the staff went to Phil or Maria for issues and questions. Fury might be the figurehead in the public's eye – pun intended – but Phil handled all student issues while Maria advised the staff. Nick was charismatic and an excellent money raiser for their elite, private high school; but the day-to-day runnings were left to his left and right hands.

"The local range is sending over someone to check the damn archery range that the Stark's wanted built. Apparently he's an alpha, a public high school senior, and 'the best man they've ever seen with a bow and arrow.' I still can't believe what a waste of money this is."

"It's not like the Starks don't have enough to go around," Phil Coulson said from the open door, adjusting his tie even though it was already in a perfect knot. "And if any of our students benefit from it after Tony Stark gets bored, then it's worth it."

"He'll be bored by Friday afternoon," Maria said, dropping a single dollar bill onto the credenza. 

"If he can hit the target, I give it ten days from today," Nick said, adding his own dollar.

"He won't last past tomorrow evening if this archer prodigy is for real," Phil said, adding a third dollar. "Stark can't handle being shown up in any arena."

Nick would leave the dollar bills on the cherry wood credenza the entire day, the rest of the staff adding to the bets as they wandered through the office. 

"Who's going to oversee the initial introductions?" Phil asked. Anytime new, unbonded people were introduced at their school, one of the staff had to be present just in case a potential bonding formed. 

"I can't make it until four," Maria admitted. 

"I have to leave at four," Phil said, glancing at the calendar on his phone. "Want me to attend until you get there?"

"Please."

###

"Can't you just go for me?" 

"Duquesne promised them a marksman, that's not me."

"You can hit the bullseye nine times out of ten, Nat. I don't want to teach a bunch of spoiled, privileged, private-school brats."

"Suck it up, Barton. You're the one getting paid for this training, not me."

Clint sighed and nodded because it was so true. They needed the money too fucking much to back out. Apparently Tony Stark had an itch to impress some girl, who found archery fascinating, so he'd built an _entire_ range at his private school just to make her happy.

Which meant now Stark and friends needed a tutor to help them out and since Clint's boss owned the only range in town… he got volunteered to teach.

"Thanks for going with me," he muttered and Natasha bumped his shoulder, knocking loose the duffel bag. "Hey! Mind the equipment, woman."

"I'm sure Stark thought to buy everything you would need, Clint."

"I want my own bow, okay?"

"And your own arrows? Really?"

It _was_ kind of silly since this was Tony Stark. Most likely he'd stocked the Firebolt version of bows and arrows just because. Clint hadn't even met Stark yet and he already sorta hated him.

"Stop thinking about casting spells on him, geek," Nat muttered and Clint laughed as they got out of their car, trudging across the perfectly-paved lot toward the brand new range. He took a couple deep breaths, locating his center and forcing himself to relax … and stopped, body frozen with shock. Another deep breath, his eyes falling shut as the sweet scent, something like spring, reached him.

"Oh no you don't," Natasha said, pinching his nose quickly. It didn't stop the sensation coursing through Clint but it surely worked to knock his head back on track.

"Ow! Fuck, Nat. That hurt." They just looked at each other, eyes wide, both of them not moving for a second. Clint took a step backwards, glancing at the car. "No, this can't happen," Clint whispered, panting shallowly through his mouth, refusing to scent the air at all. "I'm not going to get stuck with some snotty, rich kid who will get bored and leave us within a month."

Natasha settled her hand on his chest for a brief moment of comfort. She knew his fear as well as Clint. He touched the back of her hand for reassurance and nodded once. Her smile was grim, but she reached for the duffle bag, pulling it free from his shoulder, giving him permission to leave just as a tall, willowy brunette approached them. "Hi, I'm Ms. Hill, are you here to tutor the archery class?"

Clint couldn't relax enough to answer her. The question hung in the air while Ms. Hill waited for an answer. Natasha only watched Clint, letting him choose what he wanted to do. He shifted to see around Nat, stepping further away to catch sight of Hill's gold rings before he calmed. So she was a beta and married – while a marriage didn't always mean a bonding, the wind changed again and he knew it wasn't her. Good. She reminded him of pine needles, and a little tiny bit like spring, as if Clint's potential mate had brushed against her.

Part of him wanted to lean close for another chance to smell it. Part of him still wanted to run.

"You are Clint Barton, are you not?" Hill asked and he nodded, hiding how dazed he felt. If he didn't need the money so damn bad…

"Sorry, Ma'am. Yes, I am. This is my partner, Natasha. She'll be helping me."

"I'm only here to get past the initial introductions," Hills said, glancing at her watch. "As long as there are no potential bonds, I'm not staying for the lessons."

"No sudden bonds from me," Natasha said and Hill narrowed her eyes, taking in Nat's empty ring finger and the second gold ring implying she was a beta on her forefinger. That really said it all, didn't it? Clint followed the two women past the chain-link fence to see Tony Stark along with two other males and four females. 

Natasha wandered out of hearing distance before Clint asked, "Is this everyone?" Hill nodded. "Did anyone else come and go?" he continued and Ms. Hill narrowed her eyes again, staring at him.

"Only Mr. Coulson, he left moments before you arrived. He was waiting here for me in case you two showed up early."

"Okay," Clint said. "Should I call you if any more students show up unexpectedly?" It was always nice to make sure an authority figure was present, just in case. Personally, Clint didn't care but it showed a maturity beyond his eighteen years that let adults trust him more than they really should, even with the silver ring of an alpha on his forefinger. 

He let Nat stand in front of him during introductions, providing a thin separation mostly for his peace of mind; all seven of their scents wafting past her but none caught his attention, thankfully. Unwritten rules were silly in so many ways. Clint could touch any female or male alpha present, but not any omega and typically he let Natasha handle any betas. He caught on immediately that Stark wasn't there for himself – no matter what his boss had told Clint. Though he wasn't sure who Tony wanted to impress, or help impress. He stuck close to Rhodes and Hogan for sure and Pepper Pots, who wasn't a bad shot. She couldn't get the positioning quite correct and Nat raised one eyebrow at him, making Clint take over for her while she lined up the other three girls present. And they were girls - children; each of them looked at Clint as though he might have a change of heart and want to bond with them. 

Yeah – he didn't think so. 

One of these days he would convince Natasha to wear their matching wedding rings just to keep people from hitting on either of them.

Hogan kept shifting closer as Clint helped Pepper, eyes narrowing every time Clint had to touch her. It was almost cute how his expression scrunched up a little more each time. Clint definitely should have put on his second ring. Hogan might be wearing baggy clothing but Clint didn't assume there wasn't a lot of muscle edging toward him. 

Pepper was smart enough to notice it too. Clint turned his head and breathed in, figuring out she wasn't bonded and raised an eyebrow at her. She only grinned and slipped a little closer to him – the tease. "Do you mind?" she whispered and Clint grinned at her. He glanced over his shoulder to see Tony Stark eyeballing Hogan and Pepper, eyes flitting back and forth like he watched a tennis match. The grin on his face implied he was having as much fun with this as Clint. 

She obviously wasn't hitting on Clint. "Tease away," he whispered back.

"He's a great boxer," she said in warning and Clint rolled his eyes. 

"Nat won't let him near me, not to worry."

"I could tell she was bonded the second I got near her," Pepper admitted, even though it was considered rude and invasive to scent bonds on strangers. "She smells a lot like you actually. Your bonded?" Pepper asked and Clint kept one hand on Pepper's elbow to keep it in place. 

Clint knew he made instant decisions about people and they were rarely wrong, so he answered honestly instead of the story he usually gave people. "Best friend," he corrected, "but please don't repeat that. I'd rather not have anyone hitting on either of us." He backed off as Pepper finally, after four tries, hit pretty close to the target.

"Stark, your turn." Clint said. Tony pushed Rhodes up to him.

"Oh no. I'm not making a fool of myself…"

"Today," Pepper muttered.

"…I'm just here for my friends who think archery is awesome." His honest smile at Pepper took any sting out of the words. "Rhodey's ready though," Tony said, stepping back to answer his phone. 

The two hours passed faster than Clint had expected. Natasha rested on the ground, legs crossed, as she unstrung the bows and Clint gathered up the arrows. Stark had indeed brought the best and Clint was more than tempted to throw a few into his duffle bag and keep them to use for himself. The sweet scent of spring didn't reach him again and Clint hesitated as they packed up following the lesson, glancing toward the school. He'd be back soon enough.

###

"We received another letter," Nick said by way of greeting, handing Phil a steaming coffee.

"When?"

"Last week."

"Apparently, you didn't want to tell me about it. Did they follow it up with a second letter or something?" Phil watched Nick shift from one foot to the other and rolled his eyes. "Damn it, Nick. I'm fine. Stop fretting."

"It's my nature to worry, you're my best friend." He was a bit old-fashioned for an alpha and Phil wasn't the only adult at the school he worried about. Jessie was a widowed beta, and George had shown all the signs of an abused omega his first year as janitor. No, it was Nick's job to make sure his staff was solid; every single staff member fell beneath his umbrella of Alpha, as if he were a pack leader or secondary alpha to each of them. 

"Mama bear," Phil said, though he was smiling so at least he wasn't angry.

"If I was gay, you'd be my mama bear," Nick said, making Phil spit his coffee onto the clean floor. Except Nick wasn't his type at all. Phil had kept _that_ close to his vest all these years. It was almost embarrassing as an independent omega to want what he did. 

Nick knew he preferred men over women and that was enough. "You're deranged," Phil replied and Nick grinned at him.

"That's another thing I know about you, Phil Coulson. You seem to like deranged."

He gave Nick a small smile and an eyebrow that implied ' _oh really_ ' – even though it was also true. Phil was an organized bastard and proud of it. He'd always assumed that if he met his alpha, the boy – man – wouldn't be organized at all.

"I've got a new student who signed up for Archery today. Can you escort her?" Nick asked.

Phil nodded.

###

"How much do we owe?" Natasha asked and Clint sighed, running his fingers through her hair. She'd sat on his lap the moment she'd come home and seen his expression. Clint always took comfort from touch even if she didn't.

"We got it. It's close, but we're okay." Sometimes Clint wished he could lie to her and just tell her to do whatever, to buy anything she wanted instead of only what they absolutely needed. Being an emancipated teenager, and not bonded on top of that, sucked.

As soon as he was done with high school he'd be allowed to work full-time and then they'd have some extra money. Right now, their shithole of an apartment, which had been illegally obtained since they couldn't present a bond to the landlord, was outrageously expensive. Not to mention the medicine and scents Nat used to hide her omega status. They both worked multiple part-time jobs and worked around the laws as best as possible.

Some days Clint wanted to go straight to the politicians who acted like they knew what was best for every teenager and tell them all to go fuck themselves.

"Archery is today and Hill said I should be able to go to the office to pick up my check from last week," he said, fingers digging harder when she pushed against his hand. "We can get dinner afterwards."

"Okay," she said, relaxing on his lap, her fingers tracing the outline of his kneecap. They'd make it – they always did.

###

Missy didn't appear in Phil's class following school so he locked the door and headed toward the office, in case she went there. Which reminded him – he pulled out his phone and began to add a note to the calendar. It was sheer luck he didn't drop it as someone smacked right into him, turning the corner from the other direction.

"Sorry, man," the kid said, reaching out to steady Phil, a flash of silver meaning he was an alpha and Phil's instinct was to pull away. Only then did he take a deep breath, the crisp of winter cold filling him, expanding almost like the sharp pain of drinking something way too cold. "I'm not sure where I'm going..." he trailed off, mouth gaping open in shock as Phil looked up, catching bright eyes just as he gathered Phil's scent. The young man looked scared and wondrous all at once.

Phil couldn't speak, concentrating on nothing but the points of contact, wide hands on his bicep, fingertips pressing into the muscle hidden by suit jacket, and bright eyes locked onto his, expression probably mirroring Phil's own. "Holy fuck," the kid muttered, raising his other hand to touch the knot of Phil's tie, as if he didn't dare get closer to bare skin.

The thought of ' _high school student_ ' warred with ' _bond_ ' in Phil's head and he closed his eyes, breaking visual contact. Neither of them moved, Phil unable to pull away while the student, who had to be Clint Barton as the bow and quiver of arrows implied, seemed unwilling to walk away.

"Who are you?" he asked and Phil kept his eyes shut, ignoring the slight tug inside him that said _answer_. Finding your bond never meant obeying the alpha, it wasn't that. A potential bond wasn't unbreakable. Plenty of couples met and refused it; it was meant to help find the person you would be compatible with. Even the _only_ person you were completely compatible with if you believed what the purists preached.

Phil didn't believe that but a high school student? He had to be twelve, maybe thirteen, years younger than Phil. 

"Please answer," Barton whispered, the fingers spreading across Phil's tie to press against his chest. Ten points touching and Phil finally opened his eyes, meeting Clint's expressive face. "Hi."

"Hello," he replied. "Phil Coulson, I teach poly-sci here."

"Clint Barton, second-year senior, emancipated teen, and archery instructor among other things." He leaned closer, nostrils flaring, eyes roaming down, glancing at his fingers, looking where they touched Phil before he met his gaze again. 

He'd given Phil a moment to accept the idea without watching his expression, Phil realized. "Don't freak out over this," Clint added with an adorable crooked smile, the request more like a polite command.

"You don't think I'm a little old for you?" Phil didn't reverse the question – didn't say that Clint was too young for him. He couldn't even voice the idea.

"No," Clint said immediately. "I have to go to the office, and I need to be on the range in two minutes. I'd like to talk to you after. Will you stay?"

He didn't want to wait, didn't want to get mixed up with someone so young but the slight touch he already felt made him want more. "What do you need from the office?" Phil asked.

"Hill said I could pick up last week's check," Clint said and Phil just nodded. 

"I'll get it, go teach."

"You'll bring it out for me?" Clint asked, grinning wide – maybe excited to show off his archery skills, maybe something else. Phil didn't know yet.

"Yes," Phil said, committing to at least talking to him afterwards, if nothing else. The office was open and thankfully neither Maria nor Nick was in the immediate area. Phil didn't want them to see his face. They knew him too well and this needed… well, Phil wanted a moment to process finding his potential alpha alone.

He stuck to the bleachers, as far away as possible to provide little distraction. The moment Phil sat down, Clint smiled at him then went right back to tutoring the students. The young woman with him, with long, brilliant red hair, kept watching Clint as if she couldn't figure out what had happened. 

Even without Phil expressly asking it, Clint remained silent about their new bond – thankfully. Phil already knew he shouldn't accept it. Thirteen years was a huge span when one of them was only eighteen or nineteen. People changed so much during those years and he couldn't imagine someone who looked like Clint with his obvious alpha personality would want to stay with an older man.

How could Clint possibly want this? Sure, he seemed excited right now – everyone was excited at the first prospect of a new bond. The young woman helping him didn't look nearly as thrilled however. She'd finally cornered him and took a deep breath, her back going rigid. Clint had glanced at Phil only once, her gaze following.

Whoever she was, she carried herself as a beta and if Phil hadn't known first hand, he would have assumed her and Clint were bonded. Which led to a whole other set of questions and things to consider; he'd never considered, all the times he'd wondered about meeting his bond, about a third party – or _being_ the third member. 

He'd given his word to wait and talk – even if he wanted to renege on that now. He could always refuse the bond. So he watched Clint, the conversations mostly carrying over to him. Stark had asked why the professor was watching and Clint said he needed to talk to him. Pepper and Julie asked Clint's partner, it sounded like her name was Natasha, about scholarships and education, then weren't put off by her refusal to discuss it.

Being surrounded by wealth made Phil realize that Clint and Natasha's clothes were well cared for, but looked old, or possibly second hand. Was she emancipated as well? Where did they live… he took a deep breath and centered himself. He couldn't afford to get involved if he wasn't, well, getting involved. 

But there was no denying the way his body wanted to respond while he watched Clint draw the bow, pause, then release several arrows in rapid succession while the young ladies tittered over it and Stark's friends carefully watched, trying to learn. The play of muscles, the taut way he carried himself… he was beautiful to watch.

Startled, Phil focused on himself, the way his skin itched and how he couldn't hold still, shifting back and forth. His body was already reacting to Clint being an alpha. He closed his eyes, taking three deep breaths and calmed down, letting the anxiety leave him, finding the same balance that had kept him steady all these years. He'd built too much up with this career and his life to throw it away on someone who could get bored with him in a year. 

Clint approached him alone afterwards, frowning slightly. 

"What's wrong?"

"Nat said she'd meet you later, if you wanted." And he was obviously concerned about it, reinforcing the idea to Phil that they might yet be a couple.

"She's important to you," he said, stating the obvious, letting Clint know he could see it.

"Yeah," Clint said, settling on the bench below Phil, his back to the range so they could talk. "I've been taking care of her for three years now. Her alpha… well, she won't talk about it but he abandoned her years ago."

"She had to be very young," Phil said. Curious despite knowing he shouldn't get involved so fast.

Clint glanced at him and Phil couldn't read his expression at all. "I'd never tell you this if it wasn't for our bond, you know that, right?" Phil didn't, but he nodded to show he understood. "She's pretty messed up, Phil, but I trust her and she trusts me. No one's been there for us – ever. It's always been about what we can provide for other people and…" Clint took a deep breath, his expression staying blank, staring off into the distance. 

"I need some stability in our lives. I don't want a fling and I don't want some stupid teenager angst. We went through that already. It sucks but you're going to have to be as much a father figure as my partner. I don't always make the best decisions and if you're going to sit back and be a timid omega and let me make stupid choices because I've got a knot, then this isn't going to work."

Phil blinked – the words surprising him. "You're very blunt."

Clint shrugged as if he knew it and couldn't change it, "Always have been."

"I'm going to continue working," Phil said. That wasn't a matter of what an alpha wanted and he wouldn't begin any relationship by pretending to be something he wasn't. "I don't mind discussing details but I don't plan to ask permission for every little thing."

Clint narrowed his eyes, watching him. "What if it's dangerous?"

"I'm a teacher, not a police officer."

"I understand that, but I have to protect Nat as well. You get that, don't you?"

"Yes," Phil admitted, the words affirming that Clint and Natasha were some sort of couple. "Tell me what you want."

"Discussion for big decisions," Clint said immediately. 

"Define big decisions."

Clint shrugged his shoulders, rolling his eyes. "A house, a car, or anything that ties up money for more than one month. Children."

Smirking, Phil said, "I bought a house two years ago, Clint." He watched Clint's eyes widen, his expression going thoughtful, as if redefining things. "It's got an unfinished basement, three bedrooms, and two and a half baths. There's decent storage but hardly any yard. I like it well enough." Most of his acquaintances had thought him insane to buy such a large place for one person; more than one of them had acted like Phil was pathetic, buying a place large enough for a family when he was still single and in his late twenties. Nick had not been the only one to voice those concerns and Phil had ignored it.

Clint grinned at him, reaching for Phil, then aborted the motion, pulling back. "Can I see it?"

The very idea of Clint in his house made Phil want to squirm. He closed his eyes, tilting his head away to hide his expression as he took a deep breath. Neutral ground would be so much better for them. "I'd invite you back to our tiny apartment but Nat will be there," Clint said. "I'd hoped to spend some time talking to you alone first."

"She's not fond of this, is she?" Phil asked, trying to word it neutrally.

"She's afraid," Clint said. "Like I said, we've been together a long time and she's worried you'll want her gone. We're not bonded and that gives you precedent, according to the law."

The idea of more than one mate for an alpha wasn't new. Granted it was rare. Clint wasn't the only one redefining what might be acceptable. 

"I wouldn't do that," Phil said. Then he considered the words and the idea. He already felt threatened by the idea of such a young, beautiful woman with prior attachments to his possible alpha. He'd never considered sharing an alpha – even though his own mother had hinted at it more than once due to his age and seemingly lack of choices. But his mother was a traditionalist and believed everyone should be married by their late twenties. "At least I don't think I would."

"I'd never force this bond if we didn't all agree to it," Clint said, this time reaching all the way to touch Phil's arm. As earlier, he kept his hands on the fabric, avoiding skin contact. "I've seen the results of forced bonds," Clint said, his voice low and angry. "I would never do that to anyone."

"What happened?" Phil asked. He'd always heard rumors about forced bonds and omega slavery but he'd never thought it could affect him; it felt more like a cautionary tale than a true story.

"The circus, Natasha, Steve's mom… God, there's so many of them."

"I've never…" Phil started, never quite realizing how sheltered he was here. How safe Nick had kept him wrapped in the shadow of money from rich parents at their private school. 

"Can we go?" Clint asked, voice low and urgent. "I want to talk to you away from here." His hand caressed Phil's forearm and he had to wonder if 'talk' meant something else entirely. It didn't seem so.

He met Clint's eyes and nodded. They took Phil's car, Clint texting the address to Natasha per her insistence. They stopped at a bank on the way, Clint texting her again to get money out and get herself dinner. Phil offered to cook enough for both of them but Clint shook his head, stating he didn't want to make her wait that long to eat. 

###

"I can't give you this," Clint said, turning around in the foyer. The house was old but sturdy and Phil had been fixing things; putting in new carpet, painting the walls, sprucing it up each month. It needed more work but he liked what he'd done so far, with gray-dappled throw rugs in the foyer covering the wood slats he, Jasper, and Nick had put down. "Not yet, but I have plans," Clint continued. "I just need to get out of my teens for the law to stop dictating how I live."

"I already have this," Phil said gently. "I need help with fixing it up the rest of the way though."

"I can do that," Clint said. "I'm great with tools, with repairs or whatever. I learned how to fix almost anything over the years. And Natasha, she's amazing. She can make anything look better with a tiny bit of money. He followed Phil into the kitchen and braced himself against the counter, as if planning on jumping on it to sit. He paused first. "Can I?"

"Whatever," Phil said. "I grew up with four siblings so not much bothers me. Don't drink out of the cartons in the 'fridge, don't leave dirty clothes in the bathroom, and clean up after yourself if it's a shared area. Those are my peeves."

"Don't waste food," Clint said. "Unless you're allergic to it, clean your damn plate. Leave dirty shoes, clothes or whatever at the door. Those are mine."

"And Natasha?" Phil asked and Clint grinned at him, his whole expression lighting up.

"Dirty dishes are meant to be in the kitchen, not on the floor or the nightstand or anywhere else you've eaten."

Every time he smiled like that, Phil felt part of himself just… melt for lack of a better description. For distraction, he turned to the cupboards. "Do you like pasta?"

"Sure," Clint said. "Want me to do anything?"

"Bottom drawer of the 'fridge, there's bread if you want some." They worked in silence and Phil wondered if he was that transparent or if it was an alpha instinct the way Clint kept backing off when Phil got nervous. Dinner cooking, and Phil unable to keep his hands busy for the next few minutes, he turned around. Clint held out a hand, crooking his fingers to indicate Phil should come closer. He moved, not stopping until his torso was between Clint's spread knees. 

Clint reached out to touch Phil's tie. His nervous swallowing seemed very loud in the quiet kitchen. "May I?" Clint asked and Phil shrugged, not quite sure what Clint asked permission for.

Deft fingers slid the tie out of its knot and free of Phil's shirt. 

"Still okay?" Clint asked, touching the top button and Phil nodded. Clint pulled it away from skin, sliding the button out of the hole, tugging the neck of the shirt apart. Clint stared at his throat, watching the way it moved and Phil swallowed again, breaths a little more shallow.

"You have any pressing questions?" Clint asked, voice deep, making Phil tremble from the anticipation. Phil shook his head no. Clint rested his hands on Phil's shoulders, thumbs against the soft material of the shirt, pressing into Phil's collarbones, caressing and careful, making Phil's pulse race. 

"Can I kiss you?"

Instead of answering, Phil shifted closer, Clint's knees closing around him, pressed against his sides. Unsure what to do with his hands, Phil brought them up, palms pressed against the counter on either side of Clint's hips. They met in a soft touch of lips, Clint's breath gusting across his skin, making Phil hyper aware of each moment. Hands slid closer to his neck, fingers moving up and over his collar to press against bare skin. Lips met and pulled back; gentle, closed mouth kisses wafting across one side of his mouth to the other. Skin felt electric, each kiss more a caress as Clint inexorably dragged Phil in with legs and hands, pulling them closer and closer, kisses going from soft to insistent until lips moved against each other, parting for more contact. One hand cupped his neck, the other reached up to tilt Phil's head to the side, allowing Clint more access. He released Phil's lips with a soft pop of suction and kissed along his chin, following jawline back to his ear. Clint sucked the earlobe into his mouth, breath warm and loud there, and bit it softly, making Phil involuntarily move closer yet, his own hands going from countertop to grip Clint's hips.

Clint's grin was contagious. "Do you like that?" he whispered and Phil nodded, tilting his head up for another kiss just as the pot boiled over. 

Both men jumped, Phil slipping free, no matter how regretful it made him, to remove the lid and add the noodles. Clint slid off the countertop and moved closer, staying right next to Phil as he stirred the noodles and sauce, watching him. They didn't touch unless Phil shifted too far left and bumped into him. Clint seemed content to stay there, close but not as close as Phil wished. They talked through the stirring, through dinner, and afterwards they settled on the sofa, the two of them side-by-side, talking more.

"Can I do something?" Clint asked and Phil nodded. He moved, shifting one leg over Phil's body, settling onto Phil's lap. "May I kiss you again?"

"Please," Phil said.

"Touch me all you want," Clint said, guiding Phil's hands to his waist. "I want to feel your hands on my skin," he whispered, lips to Phil's jawline. Pulling Clint's shirt free, Phil touched his waist, circling around to rest his palms against muscle, digging fingertips into skin when Clint nipped his bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth.

Aroused and unwilling to hide it, Clint moved closer, sliding their cocks together, moving against Phil to give him friction. He licked Phil's lips apart, sliding his tongue in and out in time with his hips. Phil couldn't control himself, he sucked on Clint's tongue, swallowing Clint's moan, and dug his fingers in deeper, whole body trembling.

They gentled, kisses slowing down, breathes evening out. "I want to see you tomorrow," Clint whispered against his lips.

Phil nodded in agreement.

Clint arranged it for the next day, leaving Phil for the night with another long kiss. 

###

"Something is different," Nick said, walking around Phil's desk while he graded the tests.

"Not sure about that," Phil said, continuing to read, letting it hide his smile.

"You smell different," Nick said, bracing his hands on the desk, leaning in close, nose almost touching Phil's hair. "You found your alpha."

"Yes," Phil said, glancing up, trying to school his expression, which mostly worked but Nick had known him for a long time.

"Who is it?"

"Exactly what I wanted," Phil replied, stalling. Nick wouldn't be happy and he wasn't up for this conversation right now. The first bell rang in warning that classes would begin soon and Phil motioned Nick to leave as the students entered.

###

Clint loved the moments before, he always had. It's why he enjoyed archery so much. The breath he took, the hold and aim of an arrow, all of the work was done before the release and if it was proper, he found the perfect center each time. Phil reminded him of that, the anticipation of a kiss, fingers reaching to undo a single button, the second that Phil pulled his shirt out of the way to willingly press palm to skin. 

Those were the instants he wanted to remember. The results were good too, but it was the expectations that he got caught up over, knowing he did something right to get a positive result.

Every second he did something right by Natasha was like that too. Right now was a mass of anticipation for him. He wanted them to accept each other on their terms, not his. He'd warned Phil that he would have to be a father figure - that he and Nat never got what they wanted unless they carved it out for themselves. And he'd told Nat more than once that he refused to ever bond a teenager, that he wanted an adult who could stabilize their lives.

He watched Natasha now. He sat on the reclining chair after school and work while Nat paced the room, wringing her hands together. "Come here," he said and she shook her head, denying herself any comfort. Clint had spent the last several days trying to arrange this meeting but he and Natasha always worked crazy hours and Phil had papers to grade and they were still working on a relationship themselves; Clint spent as much of his free time near Phil as possible, just soaking in the idea of the potential bond.

"Come here," he said again, voice sharper, knowing she needed this even as she tried to pretend she didn't. She approached and he reached out, waiting for her to take his hand, then pulled her into his lap to wrap his arms around her. "It's always going to be you and me," he said, lips brushing against her hair. "Until the end."

"You want him," she said, finally relaxing as Clint's arms held her tight. "He's going to be the one in your bed."

"I want him but I need you." She sighed and twisted in his lap, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace, kissing him on the lips briefly. "I want this to work, Nat. I want to grow our family but if you can't accept it, then tell me."

"You've not taken him?"

"Of course not," Clint exclaimed. "We're family and I want you to approve him too." He suspected that fact alone would allow Natasha to accept Phil. She didn't want Clint the same way Clint wanted Phil. She needed him for some things but that was all. They cared for each other but Natasha wasn't capable of belonging to someone. She knew that and while the balance might be upset for a little bit, Clint hoped she wouldn't chase Phil away. 

He still wanted to be here, to negotiate through the rapids of their meeting but he knew he couldn't be. It would only put off whatever misgivings the two of them had. Best to let them work it out now, with Clint not present to calm the waters for them, before he completely accepted the idea that he could bond with Phil and keep both of them in his life.

The doorbell rang and Nat looked up from where she sat, still wrapped in his arms. "It's open," she called out and Clint sighed, losing his arms around her but not forcing her to move. Phil took their position in with a stoic expression and removed his shoes and coat, leaving them near the door. He was still dressed from work, in a dark blue suit with a pinstriped shirt and tie that matched the gorgeous color of his eyes. Clint couldn't help but stare at him, wondering once again how he managed to almost bond with this man. 

Nat held up one hand, letting Phil touch her in greeting before she sat up, standing on her own and stepping away. Clint didn't hesitate to get up and pull Phil into his arms. "Hi."

"Hello," Phil said, hands automatically sneaking beneath Clint's t-shirt to press against skin. He forgot about Natasha being present for a minute as he nuzzled Phil's jawline, licking him, taking in the different scents that clung to him after a day at work. It took him a second to realize that he was replacing them with his own smell as he licked Phil's skin. Phil, who just closed his eyes and let Clint do it like they were already bonded.

"May I?" Clint asked, because Phil obviously enjoyed kissing him but hadn't been this passive since their first kiss and it had to be due to Natasha watching them. 

"Yes," Phil said, not looking over Clint's shoulder, Nat had moved slightly closer to observe. Clint pressed their mouths together and forgot all about his nerves and the anticipation of this meeting and just kissed Phil, who _finally_ responded. He slid the knot out of Phil's tie, wrapping the ends around his hands as Phil shifted closer, giving Clint something to rub against. He couldn't help his age, he got hard over so little and Clint wanted Phil. The tie wrapped around his hands, Clint undid the top button of Phil's shirt and licked down, nuzzling against skin that smelled of worry and sweat and all Phil and only partially of school. He sucked on the spot that made Phil tremble every time, keeping it dark, the bruise fresh. He wanted to bite it, to make it a scar and show the world that Phil was spoken for. Maybe soon he'd be able to, assuming that Phil and Natasha got along well enough.

Phil eased back from Clint, making him whine at the loss of friction against his dick but that had been happening for the last week anyway. Clint grinned at him as soon as he took in Phil's nervous, wild expression. He let go of the tie and smoothed Phil's hair back into place then did up the top button again, leaving the tie hanging loose. 

"I'm sure he safely smells like you now, Clint," Natasha said, stepping closer, leaning against Clint's side. "I thought you wanted to go to shoot?"

Worry and excitement gnawed at him and he nodded, not pulling away from Phil, who still had hands on Clint's hips. He wrapped one arm around Natasha and kissed the top of her head. "I'll be back soon, you two." He'd done what he could for them and now he had to wait. He met Phil's gaze, holding it steady for a long moment before he extracted himself and left the two of them alone.

###

Aggressive as an alpha, Natasha took Phil's hand and pushed him onto the sofa, straddling his lap immediately. It wasn't sexual like the first time he and Clint had been alone, just more antagonistic. She leaned in and smelled his jawline, pushed aside his shirt to smell his neck, then picked up his hands and continued at his wrists. All without asking permission but Phil understood that. She was scenting Clint on his skin and technically, Clint would be their alpha, which made them almost-mates, in an odd way. Poly relationships had never been fully defined because there were so few, percentage wise, across the states and each seemed to be slightly different in scope. When she reached for the buttons on his shirt, Phil shook his head no.

"What?"

"You're not Clint."

"He's my alpha too."

"But you're not my alpha," Phil answered. 

"You think I won't see you naked?"

"I think you don't have the right to undress me." Phil knew he was old-fashioned about some things but he'd put a lot of thought into what he could and couldn't accept with her. He knew the rules would be fluid and eventually probably wouldn't exist at all, but for now, he was keeping them clear.

"You think that sense of decorum will survive?"

"If it changes, it will be because we're all comfortable with it changing. Right now, I'm not comfortable. I'd expect you to respect that."

Natasha seemed to relax at his words. She stood up, holding out her hand. "Come," she said, wiggling her fingers at him. Phil took her hand and stood as she walked them through the tiny apartment. The kitchen, dining room and living room were the largest room in the house, curling in an L shape. The bathroom was on the left, stocked with male and female items, one toilet and one shower. The only other room was one bedroom. The bed took up most of the room. The two dressers both had open drawers, obviously one belonged to each of them.

"Do you understand?" she asked and Phil nodded. He'd prepared himself for this, seeing in fact that they did share the only bed in the apartment. The room smelled of both of them, as did the rest of the place. Their scents intermingled everywhere.

But it still didn't smell much like sex. Phil knew the scent of Clint's arousal by now and he could smell it all over Clint when he was near, but the bedroom wasn't overwhelmed with it, like he'd expected it to be. It made him frown and glance at her, at their fingers still entwined. "I thought you were…"

"We are lovers," she said baldly. "But it's not the same. We take care of each other when we need it. I trust him and he trusts me and I won't give that up. You're going to see that." She took him back to the sofa and sat in his lap again.

Then she leaned in and kissed him, her lips soft, tasting mostly like cherry but a little like Clint, and rested her hands on his shoulders. Phil didn't actually respond to her, he couldn't. "What's wrong?" she said against his mouth and Phil turned his head to answer.

"You're not Clint," he admitted. "You're beautiful, but you remind me of my students. I'm a teacher, Natasha, I find this uncomfortable."

"Are you going to let him knot you?" she asked and Phil almost choked on air.

"What?" he asked even though he heard her clear enough. 

"He doesn't do that to me," she admitted, pulling her hands back to rest on her knees even though she didn't move from Phil's lap. Clint was blunt and open and too forward and Phil had expected direct questions from her as well… but not quite this direct. "I can show you how to please him if you don't want to be knotted. It's quicker and doesn't leave you defenseless and stuck to him." She looked at him, tilting her head sideways. "I suspect you prefer the more traditional method though."

He glanced at the gold ring she wore that signified she was a beta and Natasha shrugged as if it was not a serious offence that she lied about her status.

"Oral," Natasha confirmed, "wrap your hands around his knot and massage it while giving him oral. It goes quicker and my body still senses his knot and accepts it."

"You're an omega."

"Yes," she admitted, leaning close, tilting her head to the side to allow him to scent her. He'd heard of drugs and expensive perfumes that could mask an omega's scent but he'd never known anyone to use them. "Eventually our heats will sync," she murmured, her lips moving against Phil's cheek. "I'm hoping that you being with him will satisfy my heat. Can you accept that?"

The idea that she was an omega who'd been abandoned, it began to rearrange what Phil had thought of her. Clint had been _protecting_ her for three years.

Eventually, he'd end up having sex with her; or having sex with Clint while Clint also had sex with her. She brushed her lips against his and Phil held still, let her taste him without responding. Eventually didn't have to mean tonight, thankfully. "I believe it's a myth that heats sync," Phil said. He'd have to look that up later. He suspected she said it more for the shock value.

"You want him for yourself tonight." She said, pulling back and Phil smiled at her. "My heat is approaching, it won't be long," she warned.

"All right," he said. "Clint will be here to take care of you whenever you need him, you know that."

"And you'll accept that?"

He thought about the past week and considered what they'd face in the future. None of it wanted to make him say no. "Yes," Phil answered. She moved away, closer to his knees and put a little distance between them.

"Tell me about your home."

"It has three bedrooms and…" she stiffened in his lap and Phil had no idea what he'd said wrong. "What?"

She chewed on her lip, looking across the room and Phil reached up, resting one hand on her knee. "What did I say wrong?" he considered the single bed here and oh. "You want to continue to sleep with him?"

She shifted as if to move away and Phil rested his other hand on her back, gently keeping her there. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"I haven't slept alone for a long time," she admitted. "It's comforting to hear him snore across from me." Part of Phil wanted to protest that she'd had him to herself for a long time and he deserved the same thing. Instead he bit his tongue and cursed the mindset of an Omega. 

In their nightly conversations, Clint had been teasing him all week that he wanted Phil to wake to find Clint buried in him, knot already formed. While he hadn't admitted it yet, Phil loved the idea. He'd not considered that he'd wake to find Natasha in the bed as well.

"You think it strange?"

"I haven't thought about that at all, I'm just reforming my ideas," Phil said. "That's all." Clint had made it clear, in his convoluted way that only now Phil realized meant he'd been uncomfortable – or nervous – sharing the idea with Phil, that Natasha was going to stay a part of his intimate life. 

It meant that the things Phil had considered these past couple days; waking with Clint inside him, the sleepy conversations, the teasing, the intimacy, would all involve her. He'd told Clint, who'd said he understood, that he wasn't going to have sex with her. But waking up with two other people in the bed instead of just one? The idea wasn't unpleasant, which surprised Phil. No matter what he said, it seemed to go back to the subject most on their minds. Well, to be young and uncomplicated and concerned mostly about sex.

Which wasn't a fair thought at all because he'd never seen teenagers so worried about _everything_ until he met these two. Most of what he and Clint had discussed this past week had been contingency plans and budgets and how to save money to pay for college and so many plans that Clint had kept bottled inside, waiting for someone to discuss them with. Things he didn't want to concern Natasha with, but had no qualms discussing with Phil. 

He had to admit that he loved Clint wanted his opinions about that.

"Do your friends know?" Natasha asked, still perched on his knees. 

"Know what?"

"About Clint. Do they know you are going to bond with a teenager?"

"I don't have many close friends," he admitted, "but yes, they know." He hadn't even told Clint this yet. "They don't approve." 

They'd also discussed, and agreed, to not have a formal bond yet. Clint had argued against it but Phil was uncomfortable with it after so many years of being single. No one knew that except the two of them and Phil knew people would assume it meant Clint would leave him in a few years but Phil had wanted to wait before accepting something so permanent. He'd never been considered a normal omega anyway.

"Because of his age?"

"Yes."

"And this won't stop you?"

"No," Phil admitted. 

"Does Clint know?"

"No, he doesn't. Whatever decision is made, not many people will understand, Natasha. We're almost two different generations right now. In another ten years our ages won't matter but through high school and college? It's going to be a big deal."

"You've talked about this," she said, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Clint and I? Yes. He's an adult even if he's still in high school and the bond is going to be strong. We'll be safe due to the bond. But it's going to be touchy with you, and with any friends we have." He didn't think they would have mutual friends at all.

"No one understands Clint," she admitted. "Except for Steve, all of our friends have parents and siblings and haven't been through what Clint and I have seen. They don't understand his lack of desire for casual sex or finding someone his own age, or worrying about how to put food on the table or pay their bills."

"And my friends see two young people who are trying to take advantage of me, who will most likely rob me of everything I've earned as an independent omega and leave me mated without an alpha in a couple years when you're both legally old enough to not need me."

"Have you considered that too?"

"Yes," he admitted.

"He's not like that," Natasha said. "I may have done that two years ago. I was looking exactly for that when I met Clint a year before that. But not Clint, he's known for a long time what he's wanted and it's never been duplicitous. It's just who he's attracted to." She smiled then, pressing her hand to his chest, "To someone like you." Phil nodded; he'd realized that as well but hearing it confirmed was nice.

"We won't have mutual friends, will we?" she said, "except for Steve that is. He understands us."

"Tell me about him," Phil said because Clint had mentioned him in relation to Natasha more than once.

"He's an alpha but you would never know it. He only had his mother for years and they were very poor, Steve was always sick. He's underfed, undersized and yet has the biggest heart of anyone I know. He's a good man, wise beyond his years, like Clint."

"Where is he?"

"Being raised by his best friend's family. His mother is gone -- stolen or sold, we don't know. Bucky joined the military and Steve is living there, helping out his family. They don't have much more than Steve, or Clint and I, but they try."

"How old is he?"

"Almost eighteen but he's a junior, held back years ago due to his multiple illnesses."

From that conversation alone, Phil knew why Steve was important to them. Clint had implied that Natasha felt for Steve but wasn't ready to do anything about it. Phil raised his hand, letting it rest between her shoulder blades and she stared at him as if judging something Phil didn't understand.

"All right," she finally said, leaning against his hand.

###

Natasha found him two hours later as he checked the used arrows for damage before putting them back into the quiver to start shooting all over again. She greeted him with a smile and a tight hug and Clint finally started to relax.

"Yeah?"

"Go, he's waiting upstairs for you. I'll be back tomorrow."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. Go."

"Where…"

"To Steve's," she pulled out her phone and let him scroll through the exchange of texts dated over the last half an hour. "Clint, go, before he thinks you're not coming."

"Oh, I'll be coming soon enough," he said with a smug grin and Natasha rolled her eyes and pushed him toward the stairs.

 

"I had thought meeting her on my own was a bad idea on your part," Phil said, turning his head to watch Clint close and lock the door before crossing over to him.

"You don't think so now? Did it go okay?" Because he knew Nat well enough to know that she approved and he had her blessing, but he didn't know Phil well enough to guess what he was thinking. He shifted on his feet while Phil took his time answering.

"You should have told me…" Phil took a deep breath. "I would have been better prepared if I knew she was an omega. That was a surprise." Clint didn't think he was done talking and waited, mostly still. "She's very sexual in nature and I didn't expect that."

He continued to wait but Phil remained silent. "Nothing else to add?" Clint asked. "I don't know what to think about that comment. You're not giving me much, here."

"What do you want to hear, that it's probably the age difference? That I'm focused on working us into a team and she's most curious about working out in bed? It's a mindset that changes with age." Phil looked at him, eyes narrowing. "It's not like telling you this will make you more comfortable."

"No," Clint said. "But I still want to hear it from you."

"Why?"

"Because your friends won't; they'll use it as an excuse to tell you we aren't compatible. Or it will bother you and drive a wedge between us. I told you, I don't want some timid omega who won't speak his mind. And I don't want to hear something sugar coated because you think it will bother me." He moved, sitting on the coffee table in front of Phil. 

"Or maybe I suspected the same thing and didn't want to form your opinion of her with my biases. I told you, I don't always make the best decisions and I want your help with that. I don't know how to change her, or if I even should try."

"Is she more than that?" Phil asked and Clint nodded.

"Yeah, but she rarely lets anyone see it. She uses her beauty to confuse people, to not let them in. It's how she judges their worth. I know it's hard to see that she's more than a beautiful girl who uses her body to get her way but she truly is."

"It was a frustrating conversation," Phil admitted, glancing at Clint and correctly interpreting his expression. "I'm not attracted to her and she kept trying to push it."

"You aren't attracted to women in general?" Clint asked.

"I am, but she's so young, it feels wrong to acknowledge that she's anything more than a beautiful young girl."

"She's not that much younger than me."

"You carry yourself differently," Phil said, then took another deep breath. "Or maybe I just see you differently."

"The potential bond makes you see me differently," Clint guessed. 

"Probably."

They'd talked about sex a lot over the past week. Clint had questions and things he wanted to try and Phil had agreed to most of them, with the condition that some things might not happen if he didn't like the predecessor for it. Clint adored him for that. 

But it was the rest of the conversations he had treasured most. The sex had been theoretical until Nat approved, the rest of the talks were things Clint could keep; budgets, college, jobs, and careers. 

"Phil," he said, finally unable to wait any longer – he really wanted a concrete decision. "You haven't given me an answer yet." Phil's eyes widened in surprise, "What?" Clint asked.

"I just assumed you'd know," he said, then blushed slightly. However did Clint find – much less deserve – this man?

"Maybe I need to hear you say it," Clint said, voice dropping. He knew Phil would pause, would think it over and it was just another anticipatory moment that Clint loved – because Phil was still here, watching him with dazed eyes while Clint waited to hear that yes, Phil wanted this. 

He spoke and Clint stayed still another long moment, letting Phil's expression change. Waited until Phil's hands twitched and reached for Clint before he moved, closing the distance between them, falling to his knees between Phil's legs. He drew him close, kissing him. He wanted so much, so fast but Phil wasn't wired that way so Clint pushed it to the side. Quick kisses lead to Phil breathing fast. Clint kept things slow until he felt palms against his skin, Phil pulling up his shirt and tossing it to the side. Only then did Clint stand, taking Phil's hand and lead him to the bedroom. They paused there, Clint undoing the buttons on his jeans, his cock pressed against his underwear. Phil swallowed nervously and looked down, fingers tracing Clint's torso, hovering at the open fly of his jeans. 

"Can I undress you?" He only nodded and Clint put his hands on Phil's shoulders, slowly pushing the blue jacket aside, catching it at Phil's wrists so it wouldn't hit the floor and setting it over his dresser. He took Phil's right hand and kissed the palm, easily undoing the cufflink, dropping them in a round, purple bowl. He sucked on the pulse point, making Phil shift from one foot to the other. Clint grinned at him, confident that Phil would come undone even before Clint got him naked.

Another cufflink, another wrist exposed and Phil still remained silent, just watching, his breathing fast and shallow. Clint undid the top button and leaned in, pressing their bodies together and Phil dug his fingers into Clint's back as teeth scraped the spot on his neck that Clint would eventually bite and scar. But not yet.

Phil wasn't that old; thirty was still quite young and his body reflected that. Clint undid another button, his tongue and lips finding new places that weren't touched by him yet; sternum, the tiny bit of curve of pectoral muscle. A nipple – which caused Phil to hiss and jump, making Clint smile against his skin; slight definition of stomach muscles. Clint was hunched over now, Phil's hands roaming freely across Clint's back. He couldn't tell if Phil was still nervous or not. He stood back up, pushing the shirt off, revealing a flat stomach. Clint's lips followed his hands across bicep, getting caught up at the curve of the elbow. He tossed the shirt on top of the jacket and stepped closer, wrapping his arms around Phil, letting Phil catch his breath and cling to Clint as well. 

"Okay so far?" Clint asked, needing to make sure. He wanted Phil to enjoy every moment of this.

"Y…yes."

"If you need me to stop…"

"Do you want to stop?"

"Hell no," Clint said, tilting his head up to kiss Phil again. "I want to claim you so bad. I want you stuck here with me."

"Then take me," Phil replied and Clint groaned, pulling Phil tight to his body, thrusting against him. He could smell Phil's arousal, could feel him hard against his hip. 

"Going to make you _mine_ ," Clint said, loosening his grip to fall to his knees. He undid belt and button, inserting two fingers before unzipping, keeping Phil safe as he pulled off trousers and underwear. He'd been here before, making Phil come this past week with his mouth, but he'd never seen him fully undressed. Clint had been waiting for this.

He pushed Phil backwards, letting him get comfortable on the bed as Clint removed socks. He stood up, tossing the rest near the shirt and jacket and put his hands on his own jeans, waiting, his eyes wandering down Phil's naked body. 

"Clint," he whispered and Clint met his gaze. Smirking, he used a foot to pull off one sock then the other and wiggled his hips, letting Phil's eyes drop as Clint pushed his jeans down to his thighs. He paused again, watching Phil lick his lips, then got the underwear out of the way and stepped forward until his knees were against the bed. Phil reached out and touched, running cold fingers over Clint's dick, wrapping around the thick base where the knot would eventually appear.

"You ready, baby?" Clint asked and Phil glanced up at him. He scooted further onto the bed and Clint joined him, hovering over his body. Christ, he wanted this man so bad. He had to remind himself to go slow, to take it easy – that Phil would appreciate the effort. "Hands and knees," Clint said and Phil frowned. They'd talked about this and Clint knew he wouldn't take him like this for their first time, but he wanted to touch and that gave the easiest access. 

"Beautiful," Clint said, fingers and lips trailing down Phil's curved back. He licked his way lower, pulling apart Phil's cheeks to get inside, licking him. Phil groaned and pushed against him, letting Clint shove his tongue deeper. He spread the wetness around. Male omegas could produce like a woman's body but didn't get pregnant. Clint ate, tongue and fingers stretching and filling him until Phil was whining and pushing back. 

Clint slid up the bed, pulling Phil onto his side, raising up one leg. "Please," Phil mumbled and Clint reached around, wet fingers wrapping around his cock and pumping fast. 

With a loud groan, Phil came and Clint held him through the tremors. As soon as he stopped pulsing, Clint bit down on Phil's shoulder, pushing inside just after. He barely got to thrust, making Phil cry out, body trembling from aftershocks and pleasure before Clint's knot formed, pushing inside as well. 

"Easy," Clint whispered, hands petting down Phil's body, drawing them as close while Clint pushed, getting as deep as possible, wrapping himself around Phil to keep them together.

"Clint," he whispered again and Clint kissed his ear, his neck, licked the spot on the neck he wanted to bite. 

"You're mine now," Clint said and Phil nodded in agreement, body tired and trembling. "Going to keep you," Clint added, nuzzling into Phil's neck, his leg thrown over Phil's, arms holding him tight. He couldn't control the involuntary twitches of his hips as he came and Phil remained still, relaxing into Clint's embrace. He reached down and trailed fingers over Phil's soft cock, teasing the sensitive skin.

"Stay," Clint whispered as his body calmed down. He was still hard and they were still attached but they'd talked about this too. He wanted, their first night, to stay buried inside Phil as long as his knot lasted. To fall asleep together. 

###

He woke in a strange bed with strange sounds, the light falling over his shoulders instead of Phil facing it like he normally did. His entire body felt wonderful, pleasure shooting through him before he could even register someone against his back, pressure inside him, wet kisses on his shoulder, and Clint muttering between the kisses. "Didn't believe you'd really sleep through this. God, I'm so glad I found you."

"I'm glad too," Phil mumbled, pushing up with his forearms, letting Clint wrap his arms around his chest. They stayed that way, bodies pressed tightly together until the knot faded; Clint nuzzling Phil and mumbling under his breath, Phil speaking mostly in grunts in his terrible, didn't-want-to-be-awake way. 

He wasn't looking forward to going to work after this. Nick and Maria would argue with him some more about his bad decision and Phil wouldn't have much to add to what they'd already discussed. The only obvious difference would be that Clint had claimed him, the first steps toward a bond made. 

At least no more parents would write letters to the school.

"What are you thinking?" Clint asked and Phil shook his head. God, he didn't want to discuss this their first morning together. "Don't hide it from me," Clint whispered. "Please."

"Nick and Maria are going to complain and I'm going to have to defend. It's nothing, Clint."

"Your friends don't agree, that's never nothing. I'm still willing to talk to them."

"No," Phil said. "Maybe later, in a few weeks, but not yet." He'd not given Clint a good reason for keeping them apart and Clint hadn't pushed for a reason yet. Not yet. He trusted Phil with this. Instead, Clint reached down, wrapping one hand around Phil's cock; thoroughly distracted him from worrying.

###

Phil hadn't missed the way Jasper had been walking with him the last two days, as if preventing Nick or Maria from getting a moment alone. As much as Phil valued it, he needed to confront this. 

Clint had wanted to go with him when Phil left for work early but he shook his head no and kissed Clint. "He's not going to change my mind."

"He's not your alpha to change your mind," Clint had snarled and Phil had grinned at him.

"I need to do this on my own – you of all people should understand that."

"I do," Clint said, sighing. "I don't like it but I get it. Just…" Clint paused as if considering what to say, "send me a message and let me know it went all right."

Both Maria and Nick stopped talking the moment Phil entered Nick's office. "Just get it over with," he said, settling in the third seat, folding his arms against his chest while they stared at him.

"It's a bad idea," Maria said. "I know I'm not subject to the instincts you're bombarded with, but Phil, you've worked around being an Omega for years. Why are you settling now?"

Nick flinched at the word settled but still nodded in agreement. "He could take your house; bonding with him takes precedence over you owning it as an Omega, and precedence over the fact that I co-signed that loan. You could lose it."

Even being aware prior to this that they wouldn't understand or approve, this conversation had already begun to hurt. Phil took a deep breath and pushed his instincts away. Maria had tenure over him and Nick was his boss. They both had been his closest friends for years. It seemed like he could feel Clint in the back of his head, even though they hadn't formalized the bond. 

"You realize that I'm not required to consider your words, or explain myself?"

"We know," Nick said, leaning forward to stare at Phil. "But you're one of my best friends and I'm worried. I don't think you'll hold that against me."

Normally, Phil could override his instincts to trust the alpha talking to him but it was harder with Nick – and damnit, he knew that too. Phil offered a brief explanation instead.

"You're not going to complete the bond right away?"

"No," Phil said. "We agreed to that."

"So he and his girlfriend are going to live with you," Maria said, unable to keep the skepticism out of her voice.

"She's his best friend," Phil said, knowing he technically lied because it was more than that but he didn't have to explain everything. It wasn't the end of the discussion by any means.

"You can't be offended both ways," Phil eventually offered and that shut both of them up. "I was never going to have a traditional bond, that's been obvious for years. And you can't be offended we're waiting to complete the bond until we're both comfortable with the arrangement _and_ offended we won't complete the bond immediately."

"Why isn't he here with you?" Maria asked and Phil rolled his eyes.

"I told him not to come, all right? You both know me and have supported me for years. We can argue and disagree and I don't need my alpha present to defend me." 

Nick took a deep breath, obviously willing to continue the conversation until Maria rested a hand on his shoulder. It made him pause and they looked at each other and Phil pretended it didn't hurt to be left out of that conversation. Suspecting this bond would change things wasn't quite the same thing as _seeing_ it change things. 

He sent Clint a text as soon as he left Nick's office, mentally setting the whole thing aside until he had time to think about it. He had a job to do.

###

A week passed before Phil knew it. He and Nick had been friends for years so they were finally getting back to normal with their interactions. Maria had, yesterday, walked up to Phil and sniffed him, frowning but took a deep sigh and informed him that Jasper said she was no longer allowed to voice her opinion about the matter. 

The last two days at work had been very good days for Phil. The students, being teenagers, hadn't noticed at all which didn't surprise Phil. Why would they care if their teacher had met his potential bond?

He picked up the check from the office and joined Clint and Natasha toward the end of the next archery practice (Stark still there which meant Jasper would win the bet), seeing her for the first time in a week. She looked, to put it bluntly, terrible. Clint sent her to sit with Phil, who immediately pressed his wrist to her forehead. "Are you sick?"

"No," she said, dropping on the bench next to him with none of the grace he'd seen before.

"Tell me," he asked.

"It will stop soon enough," she said, smiling at him.

"Not good enough. Is this my fault?" She hesitated long enough for him to decide it had to be. "How can I fix this?"

"I'm just not sleeping well, it will pass," she said.

Natasha," Phil exclaimed. "I didn't know it was that bad. I'll send him home tonight."

"Not without you," she said, narrowing her eyes.

"What?"

"He's worried you can't accept me sleeping in bed with you."

"Then prove him wrong," Phil said, words braver than he felt. "Come home; I'll make sure he's there."

###

"Oh god," he groaned, body trembling with the aftershocks of release as Phil collapsed onto Clint's chest. He rolled them sideways to curl behind Phil, licking the spot he still wouldn't bite, and pushed inside. "Not made for all this sex," Phil teased even as he pushed backwards, giving Clint better access as the knot hardened inside him.

"Wimp," Clint said, but the word didn't make it out without a large yawn warping the sounds. 

The door opened, a sliver of light coming in with Natasha. Clint stiffened, taking a sharp breath but Phil rubbed his forearm.

"It's fine," he whispered. The setting sun left enough light sneaking through the corners of the window that Phil could see Natasha eye them head to toe, smirking as Clint pulled a blanket over them, giving Phil some modest relief. He _hated_ feeling exposed but he's promised her they'd work it out. Might as well dive right in and get over it all at once. She wore a dark tank top and bikini underwear as she climbed in bed next to Phil, wrapping a separate blanket around her body before she scooted closer, not quite leaning against him.

"You're amazing," Clint whispered, kissing the edge of Phil's ear as he slid fingers beneath the other blanket to touch her.

###

He definitely wasn't a morning person, even a week later; Phil woke most mornings because Clint had been rearranging his body, usually while Clint and Natasha conversed about their class and work schedule like Clint and Phil weren't in the middle of sex. It seemed so awkward and impersonal, like Clint was just using him to get what he needed and it had taken a few days for Clint to figure that out and make Phil talk about it.

Clint had only chuckled when he'd finally admitted it. "I'm _eighteen_ ," he'd said. "I can't help thinking about sex right now. Besides, I want you to wake to physical proof of how much I need you. You're mine, Phil Coulson, and I won't have you doubting that."

That had been enough of a declaration for Phil. Clint and Natasha preferred the intimacy of waking up together, of sharing their lives with each other. Phil had Clint that way in the evenings and his body whenever Phil wanted it. There might not be anything conventional about their arrangement, but it worked for them.

###

When Jessica stopped him following class, Phil had to assume she didn't know he wanted to go watch Clint and the others on the archery range. He waited while she gathered her thoughts, asking even more questions about the day's lesson.

Only then did she tilt her head to the side, taking a whiff. "Is it considered rude to say congratulations?"

"For what?" Phil asked, lips tilting up in a genuine smile.

"You smell different, did you meet your bond?"

"I did," he admitted and she grinned at him.

"Does it have anything to do with that hunky guy on the archery range? Because there's been rumors…" her voice trailed off and Phil rolled his eyes.

"It's not very polite to spread rumors, Jessica." He didn't add to that and she didn't ask further, just picked up her books and winked at him on the way out.

 

Nick Fury was on the range, standing behind Miss. Potts and her friends. Clint had been helping one of the students, Phil couldn't tell who from this angle. He slowed as Clint left her side to go stand next to Nick, obviously returning to a conversation with him. They weren't speaking much, mostly standing next to each other exchanging glances and Phil smiled at that. He might have been chewing the inside of his lip as well from nerves, but he didn't have to admit to that. Natasha helped the next student, Pepper herself and she stayed close to her, her body relaxed while Pepper chatted away and when had they become friends? Phil was glad to see it.

He moved closer, just watching, but things seemed calm between Nick and Clint. They still weren't speaking much, only a sentence here or there, as the wind shifted and Clint glanced over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised when he saw Phil watching them.

"I know the only thing that will convince you is time," Clint said to Nick as he watched Phil. "I've got plenty of that."

Phil edged between them, brushing his shoulder against Clint's momentarily. They might not become friends, Nick and Clint, but all Phil wanted was for them to not be enemies. The rest he could work on later.

### 

The first time Phil woke by himself he almost panicked. It felt strange to wake without Clint touching him. He opened his eyes to find he'd been shuffled to the spot where Clint usually slept and Phil could hear Natasha's sharp voice beside him. The words seemed muffled by cotton but he could tell she was irritated. 

"Harder," she said, sounding like she was in pain. Phil rubbed his eyes, trying to clear them and rolled over in the bed to find Natasha propped up on pillows, Clint's face between her legs. It would have taken a better man, and Phil readily admitted he wasn't that person, to stay in bed after that. He sat up, scrambling for his clothes, only to have Clint reach for him, stopping all motion. Natasha groaned with relief, her sweaty body shaking and Clint moved, kissing her belly, up her torso, sucking on her breasts, while clinging to Phil's hand.

It felt strange to have it reversed like that; to be the one Clint was barely touching. Only as he tried to disentangle his fingers, Clint all the way up Natasha's body now, their mouths melded together, did she reach for him, wrapping her hand around his wrist. Clint shoved a thigh between her legs and Natasha groaned again, rubbing herself against it quickly. He might be uncomfortable witnessing this – obviously her body in heat – but the very act seemed to help Natasha. 

Later, with more distance, he'd compare the way Clint and Natasha interacted with the way he and Clint did. He'd be secretly thrilled to realize that he and Clint felt like intimacy while the two of them acted only for release, fighting for control the whole time. She was cranky and it obviously stemmed from the fact she didn't like her body dictating what it needed. Phil willingly gave up his body to Clint. The love Clint and Natasha shared was intimate in different ways.

Even so, there was beauty there. The curve of Natasha's lithe body, the glean of sweat clinging to her, their bodies folding around each other every time release found her. Her sigh of pleasure when Clint sucked on the inside of her breast, Clint's shudder when she wrapped her hands around his hips and pulled him against her for friction. The way Clint pushed back each time but never using his strength to overwhelm her. Every thing he did at her guidance; even when she pushed him down and tapped on his free hand, letting Clint curl his fingers inside her as he licked her to another orgasm.

Eventually she stilled and allowed Clint to rest beside her, his arms wrapped around her body while she relaxed, smiling contentedly. He kissed her neck, nuzzling his face into her sweaty hair while they both caught their breath. At first Phil thought that Clint was inside her given the way his hips kept twitching but eventually she reached behind and swatted him. "Knock it off."

"Can't help it," Clint said and Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Yes, you can." She looked pointedly at Phil, who had remained on the bed, witnessing this rare act of physical affection between the two of them. Clint looked… nervous for a better lack of description. 

"We're not done," he said, hair and body slicked with sweat and apparently tense. God, the bed would be a mess but that was no different from any other day. They already did a lot of laundry and owned too many sets of bed sheets.

"Go get relief from your man," she said, trying to extricate herself from his arms.

"Nat, don't be rude," Clint said, his voice a sliver away from whining.

"Phil," Natasha said, her eyes narrowing. "Clint is still hard and all sorts of aching and won't ask you for help. He thinks you'll be offended because he's sweaty and messy from me. That true?"

Actually, it was true but Phil caught Clint's horrified expression at her words and couldn't say it. He remembered her comment the first time they met, that she never let Clint knot her. "Maybe he'd like you to finish what you started," Phil suggested. 

Natasha laughed out loud at that but it didn't sound cruel. She pushed Clint away from her, leaving him as she stood up, stretching. They watched her gather her things and lock herself in the bathroom, starting the shower. Clint looked small in the center of their bed, all hunched up on himself.

Phil leaned in, wrapping his arms around Clint, conforming his body so they touched as much as possible - ignoring the sweat and mess and kissed his shoulder.

"Sorry about that, she's cranky during her heats. I can go get a shower."

"You'd just have to take another one afterwards," Phil said, rubbing Clint's belly, hand drifting lower.

Clint tried to squirm away but Phil held on, "You sure about this?" 

No, Phil hadn't been sure about this until he realized how nervous, or maybe upset, Clint was. Instead of answering, he rolled onto his back and pulled Clint over him. Spreading his legs, he leaned up, eyeing the various teeth marks and beginnings of bruises she'd left. Phil kissed each one, keeping his movements slow and calm, tilting his hips up to give Clint the access he needed.

Clint sighed, some of the tenseness fading from his body as he adjusted them a little before sinking inside Phil's body. They rarely did this position, with Phil beneath and facing Clint, but it felt right at the moment. He wasn't even hard but that wasn't a surprise, his body would react to the knot soon enough. Clint tilted his face away, trying to avoid mouth-to-mouth kissing until Phil cupped his jaw and brought him around, sucking on Clint's lips until he acquiesced. The taste was off, too sweet, but he had plenty of time to change that. Whatever it took to make his – their – alpha feel better worked for Phil.


End file.
